Last-minute stand-ins Keith de la Mare, left, and Barry Lawrence in Cyprus. (Picture by David Rhys-Jones, 1189201)

RESULTS-wise yesterday may not have been memorable for Guernsey at the Atlantic championships in Cyprus, but it still gave Barry Lawrence something he will remember for the rest of his life.

Lawrence is a keen fisherman and, by his own admission, merely a social bowler who does not enter competitions at the NBA club, and has never dreamt of playing bowls on the world stage.

In Paphos to support his wife Jan, who was playing in the women’s pairs, Barry was called on yesterday to fill in for Dan de la Mare, who flew home to be with his wife Lianna, who was unwell.

The reluctant – and very nervous – substitute ended up playing lead in the men’s pairs, while Keith de la Mare, who was himself a late replacement for Kris Bichard, moved up to skip.

• Read the full story in the Guernsey Press. Click here for subscription details. Individual editions are now available online.